The Magus Assassin
by Shengli
Summary: Returning to Fuyuki from the Clock Tower, Rin practices the Kaleidoscope in Shirou's yard. Opening the portal, they see a Tatsumi engaged in the fight with Akame in the beginning of Akame Ga Kiru. Shirou then rushes into the portal to help him. Stuck in this new world, what will Shirou do? (Post UBW Good Ending)


***I do not own Fate/Stay night or Akame ga Kiru. All rights belong to their respective owners, and I do not claim ownership over any of these characters or the Akame Ga Kiru storyline. I make no profit off of this fan-fiction, nor do I plan to.***

**"Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use"**

Tohsaka continued walking around my yard, muttering to herself with a collection of papers in her hand. She was circling around the yard of my house, would curiously stop and stare at nothing before continuing to walk around peculiarly. In the meantime, Saber and I stood a short distance away, as to not disturb her and earn her ire.

I sighed and slowly rubbed my forehead. "Saber, do you think we can stop her from doing this?" I asked the stoic, petite blonde in armor that stood next to me. She slowly shook her head in response.

"No Shirou, I do not think that we can convince Rin to abandon her idea now." Saber murmured in response, knowing full well how her Master would react if told her objective was insane, dangerous or impossible.

Tohsaka looked up from where she was muttering and shuffling through her notes, and gave me a patronizing look. "Stop being such a baby, Shirou. You're making Saber nervous!" My girlfriend scolded me.

We just got back to Japan after staying in the Clock Tower in London, England. Tohsaka, Saber and I traveled there almost directly after the Holy Grail War, as Tohsaka had wanted to apply there after the Holy Grail War was concluded. While we stayed there, Tohsaka apparently got to meet an incredible person, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, wielder of the Second Magic. Apparently, he was looking for pupils and Tohsaka had accepted. We had stayed there for 2 years since, and returned back to Fuyuki on vacation, when Zelretch declared that he was going to travel across parallel worlds again.

To be honest, I'm glad I'm back. Asians aren't well received in the Clock Tower, and Saber was better received than Tohsaka and I were. In addition, most of the magi in the Clock Tower were, for lack of better word, peacocks. They strutted around, and boasted of their royal/established roots and mocked mine as well. In addition, the ones who did have real power of their own were just as manipulative as Tohsaka, and were not afraid of exerting their power. Dad was right when he said that I shouldn't interact with the Clock Tower, but seeing Tohsaka light up whenever she made progress on the Second Magic Kaleidoscope made me happy enough to stay there with her.

Too bad all of her progress had culminated into her formulating this idea in the first place. Speaking of which…

"Tohsaka, where did you even get this idea from?" I ask. "You aren't reckless enough to try out Sorcery without prior instruction, and I'm pretty sure Zelretch didn't teach you this yet." She looks up and gives me a glance, as if I had said something stupidly oblivious.

"Ah, that? I snuck into Zelretch's office and looked through his research." She replied nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just stolen research from one of the most powerful magi, a Sorcerer even, and her own mentor as well.

"Tohsaka…" I stared at her in disbelief, trying not to imagine what Zelretch would have done if he found her going through his notes. "You made sure you wouldn't get caught or tracked, right?" I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Honestly Shirou, do you think I'm that careless or stupid?" She shot back. "I snuck out after her left for his little adventure weeks ago. I disabled all of the Bounded Fields around the room, and I entered the room and checked out some early research he did when he was-", she smirked, "young. Maybe even 30 years old."

It did seem pretty hard to conceive that Zelretch was ever young. A vampire, a Dead Apostle Ancestor even, can live for an incredibly long time, and Zelretch was no exception. Before I could remark on that, Saber interrupted me.

"You penetrated through all of his Bounded Fields?" Saber asked, inclining her head. "How did you accomplish that feat, Rin? Did you not consider the possibility it might be a trap?" She said, arching her eyebrow.

"I scouted the room out fully before I entered, and I did discover all of the Bounded Fields that guarded his Workshop. Well, I can say that I managed to enter his Workshop, but for some reason, there were even stronger wards on his research and his magical artifacts, especially the Jeweled Sword. However, I did manage to record an interesting piece of information in a magically preserved journal…" she said before looking through the papers in her hand. "Hmm… Ah yes, it doesn't mention the day or year, but it was a diary entry describing a few instances when Zelretch opened his early portals. Back then, even he couldn't control the Kaleidoscope well himself, and so he created a Mystic Code that would aid him with stabilizing the portals in mind. A blade, shining with light, made out of precious gemstones." She concluded, before looking at me hopefully.

"Well, that's why I need the Jeweled Sword. Project it please, Emiya-kun!" She said, smiling.

I resist the urge to groan. "Why do you want me to make the Sword, Tohsaka?" I ask, feigning innocence.

"Because," she says, stepping closer to me and smiling dangerously now. Oh, damn it. "I want to open a portal to another world. I want to see exactly how useful the material I'm being taught is and I want to see the extent of my own training. Is that too much to ask?"

Saber started shivering, even though she wasn't the one who attracted Tohsaka's anger. I, who was under the death gaze Tohsaka projected, could only gulp and shake my head. Was it just me, or did she somehow look bigger than normal? I wouldn't put it past her to use an illusion or suggestion to make herself appear more menacing than she really was.

Why the heck is she getting so fired up about this?

I took a few breaths and calmed myself down, and turned on my Magic Circuits. The firing pin in my head cocked, and prana started surging through my body.

"I am the bone of my sword." I intoned, pulling out my memory of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch.

I remembered the Jeweled Sword he had shown us after Rin had survived one year under his tutelage. The sword that he had concealed behind the books of his Workshop, sealed within a glass case edged with gold. The sword had a gray stone hilt, and protruding from that hilt was a crude but beautiful blade crafted purely out of gems.

"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood." I finish. I envision the blade in my hand, could slowly feel the cold grip of the crystalline dagger forming in my grip. My Magic Circuits slowly heated up…

Soon enough, I projected the Jeweled Blade into my grip. "Phew…" I breathed, feeling my Magic Circuits cool down from the intense use. The Jeweled Sword embodies aspects of the Second Magic, and could be said to be a Mystic Code with power rivaling that of A-rank Noble Phantasms.

Tohsaka picked up the blade, slowly hefted it and continued to run her hand over its roughly-hewn edge.

"Hmm, it seems that the capabilities of the Jeweled Sword have been lowered somewhat." Tohsaka observed, continuing to eye the blade. "That's a shame, but I think it'll still work for my purpose. Thanks, Shirou."

"Yeah." I reply, eyeing the blade myself. I didn't expect a perfect copy to be projected in the first place, because my ability simply didn't project perfect copies of weapons I had seen unless I was extremely familiar with it. The Jeweled Sword in Tohsaka's hand was probably nothing more than what would be considered a prototype, a poor replica made with reduced power and abilities.

I started walking back to Saber, who began giving me the head incline. "I thought you did not want her to go through with opening the portal. Why did you project the Jeweled Sword if that was what you wished?" She inquired. I give her a rueful grin, and look over at where Tohsaka was still examining the Sword.

"Well, when a girlfriend asks her boyfriend to get her something, he at least has to try if it's possible." I reply, even though Saber knew I had done so out of cowardice. "Although, I do wonder why she's so adamant on opening a portal, especially now." I wondered, scratching my neck in confusion.

"About that," Saber interrupted my thoughts, getting my attention. "I think I know the reason. Right before our vacation, she made a blunder while drawing mana out of another dimension into a jewel in an examination." Saber closed her eyes briefly, as if remembering the incident.

"There has to be more. What aren't you telling me?" I interrogated her. "That can't be why she's so fixated on this. This is more like desperation for Tohsaka. What else happened?"

Saber looked as if she was struggling, then her features relaxed and she looked like she had come to terms with her internal struggle. "I didn't want to tell you unnecessarily because I didn't want to wound Rin's pride, but she took the test after Luvia passed the exam with flying colors. Having seen the ease that Luvia had upon filling the jewel with prana, Rin took the exam lightly. The results were very… explosive. Luvia teased her harshly after that, and the Wizard Marshall laughed as well. It must have hurt her pride deeply to fall behind her rival like that."

Dang, that would set Tohsaka off. "And now she's trying to surpass Luvia?" I ask.

"I can only imagine so." Saber stated before looking back at Tohsaka. "Shirou!" She alerted me.

I whipped my head back and I saw the sword glowing over Tohsaka's head. Time passed. Maybe one second, or two. Then she swung the Jeweled Blade down.

My eyes were immediately focused upon the very tip of the sword. It shined brightly, not unlike one of the various stars in the sky. That point of light was almost blinding to the extreme, but I could still make out a slight haziness where the blade cut. The haziness only grew and spread outwards, and when the swing had finally completed its arc, the area that was cut spread out.

I could only stare in awe at what Tohsaka had done. Although the area around the portal still showed my yard, the image shown inside the portal projected a different image. There appeared to be a mansion in the area the portal had shown, and it was surrounded by a large forest. We appeared to be in the back of the mansion, as there was what appeared to be a shed nearby. The night sky appeared to look the same, but since it was mostly covered up by the mansion it was difficult to tell if there were any similar constellations.

Then we heard shouting, and my ears immediately focused on those cries of fear and pain.

"My lady, hurry over to the shed!" A panicked but commanding male voice ordered. I wondered who he was saying it to, and sure enough, we saw a prettily dressed girl running over to the shed with what looked to be a guard rushing her along. Looking like the nobles of the Clock Tower, and judging by the fact the voice called her "My lady" then this girl is in fact a noble herself, though if she was a mundane noble or a magus was yet to be seen. She wore a dress and had a blue pompom in her hair, and her face was filled with fear.

"I found you Aria-san! Are you alright?!" Another male voice called out, and we witnessed an ally running towards the shed. He wore a beige sweater, blue jeans and brown leather gloves and boots, and he had light brown hair and emerald green eyes. A youthful face and facial features indicated that this person was just younger than I was, and he carried a straight sword on his back. He ran and stood next to the girl Aria, panting.

The noble's name was Aria? Seeing as she was a noble and her name was Aria, I assumed that she was a magus. She looked far too similar to the nobles of the Clock Tower, and if her name was really Aria, it's possible that she was proficient with an aria-related aspect of magecraft. But if she was proficient with aria-related magecraft, why was she just standing there, and not reciting an Aria?

"Tatsumi!" The noble named Aria called to the boy as she saw him.

"Tatsumi!" The guard called. "We'll be running into the warehouse, where it'll be safe for Lady Aria! In the meantime, hold off the assassins until the guards arrive to assist you!" The guard commanded to the youth.

"Assassins!" Rin murmured. Saber looked worried as well for the two teens.

I watched enough. It was clear they were in some sort of trouble, and if assassins are something that they would need help with, I had to go.

"Trace…" I began. Saber and Rin looked up sharply as soon as they heard me say my aria.

"Damn it, stop him Saber!" Rin commanded, her crest glowing as she ran prana through it.

"Yes Master!" Saber obeyed instantly, reaching out to grab me.

They were going to try to stop me. Not that I didn't expect them to, when it came to staying away from danger I was one of the worst. But it was a chance to save another person in need, to help them with their troubles.

There's nothing wrong with helping people who are in trouble. Maybe I can't save everyone, but I'll save as many as I can.

"On!" Done with reinforcing my body, I whirl my body out of Saber's open grasp and start sprinting to the portal. As I ran, I projected Kanshou and Bakuya.

Black bullets made of condensed curses filled the air around me, almost hitting me before I blocked them with Kanshou and Bakuya, which made me pale considerably. Was Tohsaka seriously firing her Finn Shot at me?

"These bullets won't hurt you that much, but if you don't want to be puking for a week straight with a high fever, I suggest you stop now before you get hit by one!" Tohsaka commanded, her finger spraying the Finn Shots around with the intensity of a machine gun.

"Shirou, stop!" Saber grabbed for my sleeve again, which I managed to narrowly evade by dodging to the side while almost getting hit by a Finn Shot. Her Instinct skill must be helping her dodge the flurry of Finn Shots, as she fluidly dodged around each one while persistently trying to grab me. However, I was charging straight ahead, while Saber dodged side to side, slowing her reflexes and her speed somewhat. It was probably due to that fact which made me able to dodge her grip, but when compared to the danger of the Finn Shots and her incredible speed, it didn't help me that much.

It was amazing that we weren't noticed by the boy and the girl, but their attention seemed to be focused upon a black-clothed individual who landed in front of them, carrying a curved blade. A girl, not that much younger than I was, with raven black hair and black eyes, slowly stood up and held her katana out in front in her. Her experience showed in her stance and footwork, and the grip on her katana showed her familiarity with the weapon, almost as if it was another limb. It seemed that she had negotiated with the boy, but she was clearly getting ready to fight.

"Then I'll eliminate you." She stated shortly, but with intent.

"Damn it, it's an assassin!" I strained my legs close to their breaking point, feeling the burn as my Magic Circuits pumped my legs with even more od. I needed to reach the noble and the boy before they were slaughtered!

"Saber, hurry up and grab him!" Tohsaka screamed, and the intensity of the amount of shots increased so much that I had to work overtime to deflect and block each one.

"Augh… almost…" Saber grunted, reaching for me again.

I needed to distract Saber even more, if only for a moment. Otherwise, I was going to lose to this hailstorm of curses and the metallic gauntlet grasping for me. I need something flashy and big, but something that wouldn't detract me or slow me down from my current direction…

"How's this!" I yelled, turning around and throwing Kanshou and Bakuya at her. The blades arced out but quickly closed in on each other, the magnetic quality of the blades attracting them together a little left of the point where Saber was running. _Dodge it, Saber!_ My mind pleaded.

Saber's eyes widened before she dodged to the right, and I suddenly stalled out my speed, my body skidding as I kicked at Saber's legs. The kick tripped her off to the side, and I quickly projected Kanshou and Bakuya again as I dissolved the other two blades, crossing the falchions together to absorb the compressed stream of Finn Shots that Tohsaka released at me.

"Ugh…" The hit from the compressed stream of curses slowed me down a little, but I quickly angled my swords in such a way that the curses slid off my blades and were deflected. Tohsaka saw this, and having seen herself lost the opportunity to take me down in one shot, she started spraying the curses around like a machine gun again.

I started sprinting against the endless assault of curses, still deflecting and blocking each one that came close to my body. I wasn't that much further to the portal now, and Saber was still trying to get up, so this was the best time for me to get to the portal…

Suddenly, the air around me was clear again, and the Finn Shots Tohsaka had shot before were nowhere to be seen. Tohsaka herself stood in front of me, her eyes focused downwards and her eyes close to crying.

"Why?" she asked. "Are you going to leave me too? If you walk through that door, you'll be gone forever, you know?" she whispered. Somehow, although she was talking to me, it was almost as if she was talking to another person at the same time.

"…" I didn't know what to say at first, so I dissolved my blades and put my arms around her gently. Then I found the right words.

"I have to get going now. It won't be like I'll be gone forever…" I reassured her, pulling her in tighter.

"You'll disappear, you baka…" Tohsaka murmured, her voice audible even though she was muffled by my sweatshirt. "You'll be gone forever. We'll never get to spend time together, or eat together again, or talk with each other. Once you go through that door, you'll never come back…" Wetness spread throughout the area where her head laid on my chest.

"I have to go save someone. Two people, and even more require my help on the other side of the portal…" I hold her closer, for what may well be the final time. "After I'm gone, you go ahead and top the rest of the Association. Learn the Kaleidoscope from Zelretch, become one of the best mages around, and after that..."

"Yeah." She sniffled, and she pulled her head away, her eyes resolute. "I'll be coming after you, you baka."

I smiled, patted her head, and released her to face the footsteps behind me.

"Shirou…" Saber walked up to the both of us, looking a bit unsure. "Though I don't entirely disapprove of your actions, I can't help but feel uneasy still… Make sure you stay safe, please." She asked, her eyes shifting to their corners.

"Saber…" I began, stopped and then started again. "Arturia Pendragon." Saber quickly looked up, having heard me say her name before only in the most serious situations.

"I want you to stay here and protect Rin. She'll need a bodyguard like you around to keep her safe. Do this for me as your former Master, please." I asked. "In return, I swear upon my blades that I will return to the both of you safely someday. So until then, don't stop believing in me."

"Yes, Master." My former sword complied, giving me an echo from the past and a conflicted yet obedient smile of acknowledgement.

Determined, and without another word, I projected the blades and ran, not looking back at the two girls behind me. As I ran into the portal, I had a distinct sensation of free-fall before I stepped out from it and into the parallel world. Immediately afterward, the portal snapped shut behind me, leaving me stranded in this parallel world.

I analyzed the situation immediately. A lush green forest surrounded the gigantic mansion, and the area where I had come out of was towards the back of the mansion. There was a shed positioned to the right of where I was, and in front of it was the girl Aria, standing right next to the body of the earlier guard, who was staring at what was happening in front of her. The boy Tatsumi and the female assassin were engaged in a fight, and though the fight was high speed, I was able to analyze it clearly due to the Reinforcement in my eyes.

The boy was skilled, there was doubt about it. But the girl was easily beating him, although they both hadn't landed a hit on each other yet. But he was clearly struggling with the swordfight, as he was hard-pressed and kept constantly on the defensive, while the girl was breathing lightly with each slash she made on his sword. Blow for blow, he wasn't a match for her, and with the way she was fighting, he was going to die if I didn't save him.

I ran towards them, intending on intervening between them, when the boy slashed horizontally and she jumped above the blade. She shot her foot out, and it connected with his arm. Then, with a complex twisting maneuver, she flipped in the air, landed on the ground and thrust the katana into his heart.

"Damn it!" I changed priorities, and headed toward the girl instead of the now boy. There was no way he could've survived being pierced in the heart, but for some reason, the assassin stayed at a distance from the corpse.

"Kuh…" The boy was still alive! I almost tripped as I started running back towards Tatsumi, who was slowly standing up.

"You wouldn't even let your guard down and come closer to me?" He asked.

"I didn't feel it bite flesh." She replied. Wait, what?

Tatsumi reaches into his shirt and takes out a wooden statue of some kind, probably some kind of religious figurine. In the middle of the figurine was a deep puncture, the place where the katana pierced. "The elder told me to keep this close to my heart!" He proclaimed.

I thanked whoever his elder was for giving him that statue. And that he was lucky enough to place it in the area she would pierce. But he wasn't out of the danger zone yet, as evidenced by the girl rushing straight at him again.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He pleaded, backing up. "You guys are just after money right?! Please leave her alone, this isn't the battlefield! Let the innocent girl go!" I admired how he still was adamant on protecting the girl, even though his own life would be put in danger again. But his pleading gesture left no hand on his sword, leaving him utterly defenseless.

The girl didn't heed his words, and started swinging her katana again at him. Pouring on an extra burst of speed, I swung Bakuya down into the katana, deflecting the blade down to the ground. With my other hand, I swung Kanshou at her, forcing her to withdraw her blade and jump backwards, out of my range.

"What the…" Tatsumi stared in astonishment as I saved him from his near decapitation. "Who the heck are you?!" He interrogated, shooting me a suspicious glance.

"I'm not an assassin." I reassure him, looking at him briefly to ensure his condition. "I'm glad. Looks like you weren't wounded by her." He blinked in disbelief for a moment, and seeing as how he noticeably relaxed, I guess he believed what I said. Then he stiffened.

"Watch out, there's something wrong with her blade!" He cautioned, gesturing to the corpse beside him. "Whoever she cuts with that blade, they receive strange marks all over their bodies. Then they clutch at their hearts, and fall over in a fit before dying. You absolutely must not receive even a single wound from her!" He warned.

Upon hearing that warning, I immediately used Structural Analysis on her katana. The blade was made out of some foreign material that I could not identify, but seemed to be present on this earth. But the most outstanding property of her blade was… "A poison, more like a deadly curse, is coating her blade. Able to kill within seconds of being introduced into the body, it will immediately attack organs once present in the body and causes agonizing organ failure. There doesn't seem to be an antidote available for this poison either." I murmur, and store the information for later, in case I meet another person capable of generating the same poison.

"Got it." I acknowledge the boy's advice. "Tatsumi is your name, right?" I heard the rustle of clothing as he nodded his head. "Tatsumi, protect that girl. I'll help protect both of you from her." I nod towards the assassin, who was looking at me with caution. "In the mean time, stay alert. It's likely that more than one assassin arrived to take her life. Is there any areas we can retreat to with Bounded Fields?"

Aria creased her forehead in confusion. "An area with Bounded Fields? What do you mean by a Bounded Field?" Tatsumi also gave me a similarly confused look, one that spoke of ignorance at the idea discussed.

Damn. Looks like the nobles of this world didn't have any idea of magic after all. Either that, or magic here was known by another name.

"You." The assassin stated, attracting my attention. "Will you also interfere in our mission?"

"I won't let you take an innocent life. If you persist at this task, I will defeat you." I reply calmly. "I suggest you step away and put your weapon back in its sheath. I won't harm you if you let this boy and girl go."

The assassin held up the katana again. "The boy can leave, but I will kill that girl."

I readied Kanshou and Bakuya. I can't take even one hit, but my style of fighting already provokes me into not even letting a single blow land. By creating openings in my guard, I can only hope that she will strike for those to aim for a vital point, but if I knew where the attack was going to land, I could safely parry and block. A dangerous way of fighting, but I am very skilled at it. In a sense, my fighting style already regularizes her strong point, as I wouldn't be able to survive a hit in the vitals anyway.

We stood, facing each other off in the clearing between the trees. Me, with Kanshou and Bakuya at my sides, and the assassin, who held her katana and pointed it at me. Time slowed down. One second, then two… for what seemed like an infinity, but when the night breeze kicked up again, we rushed towards each other.

She thrusted the sword towards my heart, and I parried it away easily, already having predicted that strike from when she attacked Tatsumi, before spinning around and scything Kanshou at her arm. She used the longer length of her katana to block before aiming to slash my throat. However, I parried that to the side and crossed Kanshou and Bakuya together in an X formation before jumping to decapitate her. She evaded desperately to the side, and tried to aim for a glancing slash as I missed her, which I blocked. I quickly jumped back, my Reinforced legs pushing me back far enough to stay close to Tatsumi and Aria.

We took a brief respite from the battle. The assassin breathed mildly, but I could make out the slight bit of sweat that she exerted from our conflict. My strikes must have heavy for her, as I nearly broke her defenses with my Reinforced strength alone. I was not as exhausted, as my Reinforced eyes were able to read all of her strikes and my body took her attacks nicely.

"You know from our exchange that you can't win." I told her. "Give up on killing her and I will let you go." Even though it phrased like a choice, I issued the deal in a commanding voice, hoping that I could convince her to leave.

The assassin glared at me. "No. I must eliminate her." She insisted.

We both glared at each other, before we heard another voice call out in concern. "Akame, do you need help with that bastard?!"

I glanced to see who had just called me a "bastard", and I was greeted with the sight of a woman wearing animal accessories, which were leonine in nature, coming out from the trees. She had blond hair, and wore lion's paws and lion's ears. She looked youthful, and her most noticeable asset was her large chest. Her face, which looked like it would have been pretty enough smiling, glared at me with the intent to kill, as she ran to the assassin Akame's side.

Akame waved the newcomer off, glancing at me before speaking to her compatriot. "No, I'll deal with him. Leone, go and take down the target. If the boy gets in your way, eliminate him as well." She stood up, and pointed her sword at me once again.

"Ah! It's you!" Tatsumi screamed from behind me. Alarmed, I turned to look at him, expecting danger, but he was pointing at the woman Leone.

"You know her?" I asked in disbelief, before amending my statement. "How do you know her?" I questioned, hoping I could get a more concrete answer out of Tatsumi.

"We met in the Capital and she said that she could get me into the army with some connections and money. But then I took her out for drinks 'cause she asked me too, and she left afterwards and told me to wait so she could get me in the army and I found out later that I was scammed by her!" He said breathlessly. I stared at him for a moment, trying to comprehend his sentence, and the I decided to just interpret it as, "She stole money from me."

Leone shook her head. "I don't mind killing the target, but I won't kill the boy. I owe him a favor, and this is it."

Akame nodded her assent. "Eliminate the target."

"Yeah, I know." Leone said cheerfully, cracking her knuckles.

This isn't good. I already was busy with fighting Akame, and this new woman Leone seemed to be fairly experienced in a fight as well. If it came down to it, I would have to take Akame and Tatsumi…

"Tatsumi, you still want to protect Aria, right?" I asked him, not even looking to see his determined expression.

"Yeah, what do you want me to do, err…" His voice trailed off.

"Shirou. Emiya Shirou." I told him my name. "If it comes down to it, get that woman Leone. If you can take her down, that's great. If not, stall her out until I'm able to help you. We can't take our time with these two, there might be even more assassins around here."

"You think you can take her out?" He asked me incredulously. I nodded, not because I was overconfident about taking her down, but because I knew it factually.

"Still…" I began, and then looked over to the two assassins. "Hey, I don't know why your companion and you are so adamant about taking this girl's life, but let her go! We won't let you get away without a fight if you continue trying to take an innocent life!" I yelled defiantly at both of the assassins.

Leone looked at me incredulously for a second before laughing. " 'Won't let you get away without a fight?' What do you think you are, a hero? A protector of the innocent?" She started tearing up. "Oh man, I take it back! This guy isn't a bastard, he's just an idiot!"

"Oi, oi…" I grumbled. This reminded me of the time Tohsaka made fun of my childhood dream of being a superhero. Little did this woman know that I truly believe and practice my dream by saving people already, but it still smarts when someone mocks my ideal of being a superhero.

"Look, maybe we can resolve this without a fight…" Leone agreed, done with her fit of laughter.

"Does that mean you will let her go?" I asked, gesturing towards Aria. Leone shook her head.

"No, she definitely dies tonight." Leone dispelled my only hope, and I held my weapons at my side, going into my fighting stance. "But I can definitely prove that she isn't innocent." I gave her a look after hearing her confident statement.

"What do you mean?" I asked her cautiously. Leone held up her hands in a peace gesture.

Leone stated her first condition. "First, I need you to ensure that our target won't be going anywhere. You can continue guarding her, but you can't let her run or slip away."

I looked back at Aria. "Sure, we can keep that condition, as long as you don't attack her until you prove she isn't innocent."

Tatsumi grabbed my sleeve. "What do you think your promising Shirou!" He asked. "If we want her safe, we should let her escape from here!"

I shook my head. "Tatsumi, we don't even know how many assassins are here. If we help her to escape this area, she could get ambushed by other assassins as she's trying to escape. The guards might all be dead as well, if we know the general skill level of the other assassins from these two." I nodded towards Akame and Leone. "The safest place is to keep her near us."

"Well, what if this is a ploy to waste time so the other assassins can get here?" He asked, worried for Aria's safety.

"We can run then." I told him, and he stares at me with disappointment. "…What? I don't have a plan for everything you know."

"Well, you're a pretty competent guy to come up with the first point at least." Leone said, rubbing the back of her head with her hand (paw?). "Now, my second condition is that you let me go open that shed. If my sense of smell is right, then I'll the proof I'll need to show she isn't innocent is all in there." She stated, pointing to the shed behind us.

I looked over my shoulder, and then I nod back at the two assassins. "Go ahead."

As Leone walked steadily towards the shed, Tatsumi and I kept our eyes locked on her. Well, technically only Tatsumi was really paying attention to Leone, I was more focused on Akame, who still kept her edge of her katana pointed at Aria. With a yell, I heard Leone create a great impact on the shed door, and heard the sound of splintering wood. Soon after, I smelled something sweet but repugnant, and I abandoned all caution to look behind.

That smell…

That pungent, sweet smell of death…

"What the hell is this…?" Tatsumi asked, horrified.

The decayed bodies, the stench of urine and feces and sickness, smell of fear, hatred despair. Guts, gore, organs, limbs, brains. All the things that should be in a human was out. Skin was ripped off, plastered on the tables strewn around the shed with nails. Grotesque faces that begged for mercy, agonized faces of unadulterated hatred and helplessness hung from ropes attached to blocks of wood like puppets. Needles, scalpels, tweezers and other medical equipment lay covered in bits of human. Bodily fluids rested in cages upon the ground, the inhabitants inside nothing more than skeletons of their former bodies.

This shed screamed death and pain. It was hellish in and of its existence. I almost heaved the moment I looked into the depths of this shed.

"Sayo?" I looked over at Tatsumi, who was walking over to one of the hung corpses. A girl, who would have been beautiful if not for the bruises and blood-matted hair, who wore no clothes.

"Sayo? Sayo?!" He yelled at the body, trying to see if it would respond.

"Is that your friend?" Leone asked gently. "Whoever she is, she's gone now. I'm sorry for your loss." She consoled before looking over at something behind me. "Hey!"

In the face of those atrocities, I had almost forgotten to keep an eye on Aria. Turning around, my gaze settled immediately on the noble trying to escape into the trees.

"Hold it!" I ran at her while dropping my swords and my Reinforced legs carried me to her in an instant. Grabbing her by the collar of her dress, I took a moment to study her face. Though it was filled with fear, it was not reacting to the shed, but her fear-filled gaze was directed at me. So she had known about this after all!

"You bastard…" I growled at her. "Why, why did you do this?" I demanded.

"Kuh!" She glared at me apprehensively. Her face, though still full of fear, also held bits of hatred for me.

"These nobles may wear kind faces, but underneath their exterior lies the monsters who did this." Leone gestures to the interior of the shed. "They invite people from the countryside over to their mansion, where they then entertain them before feeding them a sleeping drug. Once the guests are helpless, they are then subjected to their hobby of torture, being brutally treated until death. The guards were aware of this when they signed up, so they are similarly guilty of these crimes." She explained.

I carried her back over to the shed. She tried kicking me several times and hissed and spat at me. As soon as her true natured was revealed, she become not unlike a feral animal, and struggled to get out of my grip.

"Tatsumi…" A haggard voice called out from one cages. Tatsumi ran to one of the cages, and knelt on the ground.

A boy, thin from hunger and covered in excrement and blood, crawled over to the front of the cage. His spiky black hair was matted with blood, and he was shirtless and only wore pants and a dirty bandana. His eyes looked dead, but the most horrifying thing about him was the red, angry blotches on his skin and the intense smell of sickness that radiated from him. Whatever ailment he had contracted, it was nearing its culmination. Whoever he was, he wouldn't live for long.

"Ieyasu…" Tatsumi said unbelievingly. "What happened to you?"

"That bitch and her family…" Ieyasu pointed to Aria. "After we separated after the bandit attack, Sayo and I managed to find each other again. We journeyed to the Capital, and we met that girl there. She offered us shelter because we didn't have enough for a hotel, and we accepted. We ate dinner at her mansion, and afterwards we passed out from some kind of sleeping drug." He gasped. "I woke up, and I was strapped to a table. Then there was that blonde woman, and she injected me with something. And I saw that girl beating Sayo." He clutched the bars and started crying. "That fucking bitch killed Sayo!"

Tatsumi looked up angrily, and his glared at the girl he was protecting only minutes ago.

Aria gave an insane laugh. "Hah, she deserved it for being more beautiful than I was!" She crowed maniacally. "Her with her straight black hair, and me with my unruly blonde curls!" She snarled at all of us. "How dare a stupid, uneducated bumpkin from the countryside look better than me! That's why I paid such special attention to her." She finished, grinning gleefully.

"YOU DAMNED PSYCHOPATH!" Ieyasu screamed from the cage, before he hacked and coughed blood.

"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi cried worriedly.

"Hah, what do you think you're saying to me, you corpse?" Aria jeered. "You're already a dead man, why don't you hurry up and die already? There's no way you can be saved now, just kill yourself you worm."

"How contemptible." Leone said with disgust. "A family of sadists who disguise themselves as generous benefactors. Let's just get this job over with."

Akame nodded. "Eliminate."

"No, wait." Tatsumi rose up from where he knelt, and walked over to where I had just set down Aria. She staggered to her feet, but with Akame, Leone and I guarding the entrance to the shed, she wouldn't be able to escape.

"You can't be serious about protecting her!" Leone burst out, utterly baffled. "You've already seen the things that she's done, why do you still persist in protecting her! Huh, Akame?"

Akame had put her hand on Leone's shoulder, and shook her head. "Wait." Akame said, and nodded towards Tatsumi.

"No, I'm not going to protect her." He stated, drawing his sword several inches out of his sheath. "I'll kill her myself!" He roared as he drew his sword completely out of his sheath, burying the steel within Aria's stomach with an Iai slash. The movement as the blade cleared her body sprayed an arc of crimson across the wall of the shed, which quickly faded away within the blood-drenched walls. Aria crumpled to the ground, her mouth open in a silent cry of pain, and Tatsumi sheathed his sword.

"Hmm…" Leone studied Tatsumi as he killed Aria. I wondered what she was studying about him…

"Finally…" Ieyasu said smiling. "Karma's really a bitch, isn't it? I'm glad to know that she's in hell now…"

Ieyasu face looked relieved, the look of a man at peace, before his eyes bulged and he regurgitated more blood. "Ieyasu!" Tatsumi screamed, looking around desperately for the keys to the locked cage.

"Here, the keys." I grabbed the ring of keys that unlocked everything in the shed which rested upon one of the hooks, and tossed it to Tatsumi.

Tatsumi fumbled with the keys a bit, and in his haste he tried each key in the cage. Finding the correct key, the lock of the cage made a clicking sound, and the door opened. Tatsumi and I rushed into the cage and dragged Ieyasu out onto the floor of the shed, and his head was propped up on Tatsumi's lap. He shuddered, but even though he seemed so close to death he seemed so peaceful.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Tatsumi muttered, before looking up pleadingly. "Are there any doctors we can take him to that can save his life?"

Leone's eyes shifted to the side, and her eyes were full of sorrow for the desperate young man. She didn't say anything, but Tatsumi understood what her body conveyed.

"Damn…" Tatsumi whispered, gripping Ieyasu's hand.

Akame said nothing, but her gaze never wavered from Tatsumi. She took out a book from behind her back, a book with a purple cover adorned with magenta embroidery, and read from its contents.

"'Today, we found two cute children from the countryside who had no place to stay.'" She began. "'As usual, we took them into our home and entertained them. Around dinner, we put the sleeping drug into their food, and after they partook of the meal, they quickly fell asleep. We had the guards carry them down to the shed and had the spiky haired boy strapped to a table. My cute little Aria wanted to take care of the black-haired girl, so we had her hung by her hands. It was so riveting for a parent to see her daughter enjoy the same hobbies as her!'" Akame continued reading. "'When the boy woke up, he saw my little Aria beating his friend and cried out her name. And that's when I showed him the needle! Oh, it was pleasurable to hear his screams of fear and his cry of pain and despair as I injected the contents into him!'" She closed the book, and walked up to Tatsumi.

"The lady of this house often liked to inject diseases into those she captures." Akame informs him. "The disease that she injected into your friend is called Lubora, and unfortunately, it's been allowed to develop into its final stages in him. Your friend cannot be saved now." She said, and Tatsumi's face grieved as he looked at his friend.

"Heh, you know Tatsumi, Sayo didn't submit to that bitch even to the end. No matter what happened, she always resisted the torture, and the pain, until the very end. It was so fucking cool." Ieyasu laughed, and looked up into Tatsumi's face solemnly. "You know that you will have to carry on without us. You're the only one left, so promise that you'll carry our wishes and save the village for the three of us."

"I… I promise." Tatsumi choked out, his eyes tearing up in response to his friend's final words.

"Thanks." Ieyasu smiled, and held a fist up. "Ah what a shame, having my journey end here, it was too short… But you know, Sayo was really cool to the end, so I have to as well." His eyes started closing. "Looks like… the Great Man Ieyasu… ends here…" His clenched fist fell as his eyes fully closed. Tatsumi caught the fist, and started sobbing.

"He was in a state where he only clung to life with sheer willpower." Akame told him.

Tatsumi gripped the hand of his deceased friend. "What the hell is wrong with the capital…?" He asked, although the question seemed to be directed to no one.

"Let's go." Akame ordered abruptly, and turned to leave the shed.

"Yeah, buts let's bring these two with us." Leone agreed.

…Wait, what?

Upon processing her words, I ducked from her grip and rolled clear onto the grass outside. Tatsumi wasn't as lucky, and the leonine woman grabbed him and was dragging him by his collar.

"Why the heck do we have to go with you two?!" I demanded.

Leone shrugged. "Well, our hideout is always short-handed, and you two seemed to be skillful fighters, so why not come to our hideout?"

I struggled to find an answer, but even though I knew they were assassins, I still kind of respected them. They were respectful to Tatsumi when his friend died, even going as far as praising his endurance and saying sorry. That said something about their character. Besides, stuck in this new world, I might as well go with them to find out more about this place before I make any decisions on where I want to go as well.

"… Alright, I'll go with you." I agreed, and Leone took the measure of caution I held in my voice gracefully.

"But I can't!" Tatsumi struggled, trying to get out of Leone's grip. "I still need to dig graves for them!"

"Ah, don't worry about that." Leone said, pulling Tatsumi off his feet again. "We'll bring their bodies back to the hideout later."

"What?" Tatsumi stopped struggling, confused for a moment. Then he continued struggling. "Damn it, could you let me go already?!"

I sighed. For whatever time I was going to be staying with them, at least it was going to be eventful.

We walked close to the mansion, and Leone and Akame effortlessly jumped up to the roof of the mansion, with Tatsumi held in Leone's arms in classic princess style. I followed suit, and upon landing on the mansion, was greeted with the sight of three figures. One was a short, petite girl with long, pink twin-tails in a pink and white dress. Another was a boy with short green hair, with red goggles and a fur-hooded green jacket. The final member was a tall and ominous looking knight in white armor, who carried a spear over his back.

"So they're finally back." The white knight said, turning around to face us.

"That's good." The green haired youth sighed. "It would be troublesome if we took any longer to retreat."

"What the hell were you doing!" The petite girl yells before noticing my and Tatsumi's presence. "What the hell are those?" She asks.

… Did she just really refer to us as things?

"These are our new team members!" Leone said jubilantly, dropping Tatsumi on the ground.

"Ouch!" Tatsumi cried, landing backside first on the roof.

"Wait, what?" I deadpan, most likely for the both of us.

"Starting today, you're one of us!" Leone said happily. "Congratulations on your inauguration to Night Raid!"

"…" Tatsumi and I were dumbfounded. Were we really just forced into joining an assassination team?

"Wait, what the hell's up with this development?!" Tatsumi demands.

"Agreed, can I take a rain-check on this?" I ask, holding up my hand. Akame shook her head.

"Give it up." She told us. "Once Leone has made up her mind, there isn't any way you can change her from it."

Akame held her stoic look even as Leone rubbed her head. "As expected from my buddy, you know me so well~!" Leone praised.

"Bulat, can you grab them?!" Leone called to the knight, who promptly picked up Tatsumi with the crook of his arm. My reflexes saved me again, rolling me out of the range of the knight's reach.

"It's okay, I'm going to travel with you guys, you don't have to carry me!" I frantically tried to dissuade the knight, and he nodded in acceptance. Tatsumi still struggled within the knight's firm grasp, however.

"I have no intention of becoming an assassin in the first place!" Tatsumi yelled, and the Bulat grabbed his chin gently and pulled Tatsumi's face to look at his helmet.

"Don't worry, nothing is going to go wrong…" The knight told Tatsumi gently.

I shivered a bit. My danger senses were going off, and by the looks of it, Tatsumi had the same feeling. I swear I saw a distinctly romantic atmosphere surrounding the knight and Tatsumi, and judging by the voice, the knight was also male.

Stay safe, Tatsumi, stay safe…

"Mission complete." Akame said, addressing the whole group. "Let's return to base!"

The Night Raid group jumped as one, and together we traveled along the trees.

"What's with this development!" Tatsumi screamed throughout the forest, with Bulat carrying him.

Jumping through the forest, I took a moment to look up at the moon which looked so similar to my own. That big, white sphere in the sky reminded me of home, and that made me remember Rin and Saber.

I wondered if Rin already went back to the Clock Tower. Was she already shifting through Zelretch's notes, looking to see if there was a way to open portals to specific worlds? It would seem to make sense, as Zelretch had claimed that even though he had travelled through parallel worlds, he was still the same Zelretch that belonged to our world. If that were true, then he would've devised a method to return to his own world at the very least. If Rin learned how to use the Kaleidoscope like Zelretch, it is very possible that she could open a portal again to this world, and come after me.

I also thought about how Saber was doing. I was worried if Saber was still eating well before remembering that Rin was also good at cooking, and I relaxed. I had done the majority of the cooking in the two years since the war, as Rin claimed that cooking was too troublesome to do while she was learning the Kaleidoscope, but even then she retained her skill at Chinese cuisine. So I bet Saber was still eating as well as she did when I cooked.

I'll learn more about this world first, by heading to the Night Raid base first. Hopefully, they aren't that bad, and I'll be able to negotiate with them and be able to gain more knowledge about this place. I also needed to keep an eye on Tatsumi, if he got into trouble with the assassins, I would need to help him get out of there as well. I can't let him die after saving him, after all.

Being stuck in this new world, separate from two of my most favorite people in the world, one might have wondered why I did not give into despair, as I might be stuck in this world forever. However, I had no regrets. I jumped into the portal of my own volition, and I managed to save a life, and that is something I do not regret. In addition, this world seemed to be in troublesome times, so it was my duty as a hero to help these people during these times.

I'll weigh these lives on a scale, and I'll save as many of them as I can.

A/N: Yo, I'm back!

So a lot has happened for me since I started rewriting my fan-fiction. For one thing, I went on vacation, which was fun, and for another, school had started for me. This means several things. One, updates are obviously not going to come as fast because I'm gonna be busy with school, so that was obvious. However, I am going to get a lot more practice with writing, so my story can only get better with time. Two, I can only really write on the weekends and vacations, so expect the majority of the chapters to be uploaded during those periods. Three, the story is going to change, for better or worse is up to you. I plan to make a much more serious fiction, as I think that I took a much too lighthearted approach with the other. Some people will like that, some won't, but you'll still get your funnies in the areas in Akame ga Kiru where they permit it. In addition, I took some time to try and add a bit more flavor to the story, and fill it out a bit, just so people who re-read these bits won't get too bored.

One of the most obvious changes you're going to notice in this story is that it is first person! This version aims to look through Shirou's eyes at the event' in this fan-fiction, and I plan to keep it that way, in addition to having little interludes, much like the VN of Fate/Stay night. Which, by the way, I finished, and it was an amazing experience. I fully respect Type-Moon for creating such an awesome VN, props to them.

Another change that is going to happen is that I plan to add in new pieces of plot. I can't say how it will go, but rest assured the plot will be diverging away from the typical Akame ga Kiru plot, and hopefully I'll get to add my own touch to the story, instead of simply copying the original story like people have mentioned in reviews in Fate/Killer. Like the Danger Beasts, they really hadn't elaborated on them in the original plot and I would like to integrate Danger Beasts into my story.

So if there are any questions, feel free to leave a comment asking about it. Any problems, like plot holes and grammatical stuff? Please feel free to point that out to me as well. I like to write this, and I'll make it as good as I possibly can with my limited ability as a writer.

Thank you for reading this chapter of The Magus Assassin! Please look forward to the next chapter!


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